200907 – Warwick – Active Pedestrian Crossings Controls and Technology

The Victorian Railway Crossing Safety Steering Committee (VRCSSC) through the Railway Crossing
Technical Group (RCTG) is currently trialling a number of new technologies to improve the safety at pedestrian crossings. This technical paper will seek to provide the industry with a summary of where we sit with these trials.

To work out what technologies were to be trialled, we have reviewed investigations of incidents at pedestrian crossings as well as researching other technologies used by other rail networks. From this we decided to trial Another Train Coming and Red Standing Man signs as well as locking the Emergency Escape Gate to secure the gate and prevent illegal entry to the running line. As part of the trial, a before and after human factors study is being performed to ensure that the safety risk has reduced and the equipment is effective.

This paper will discuss the history of pedestrian crossing controls in Victoria, the dangers at pedestrian crossings, new technologies and the conclusions of the trails performed to date.